Police issue harrowing update in search for Savannah Guthries missing mother!

The search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, has taken a deeply troubling turn as law enforcement now says they believe she may have been taken from her home against her will.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen on Saturday night at her residence in the Catalina Foothills, a quiet desert community north of Tucson, Arizona. According to family and authorities, she went to bed as usual. When she failed to attend church the following morning, concern set in. A friend contacted police, triggering what would quickly become a large-scale and increasingly urgent search effort.

From the outset, authorities treated the case with seriousness. Search-and-rescue teams were deployed both on the ground and in the air, combing the surrounding terrain—an unforgiving mix of desert scrub, rocky ground, and cactus. The effort intensified as hours passed without any sign of Guthrie.

At a press conference on Sunday, February 1, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed that investigators were pursuing every possible lead. He also revealed that a homicide team had been brought in to assist, though he cautioned that at that time, there was no definitive evidence pointing to criminal activity.

“We’re pretty much throwing everything at this that we can,” Nanos said. “Guthrie is 84 years old and is not of good physical health, and that’s naturally a great concern. This is very concerning to us. We don’t typically get the sheriff out at a scene like this, but what we’re learning from the house is deeply troubling.”

He added that detectives from the homicide unit were actively examining the home, signaling that investigators were not ruling anything out.

As the search continued, Savannah Guthrie was noticeably absent from the Today show on Monday. She later released a statement through the program, thanking the public for their support while urging anyone with information to come forward.

“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and messages of support,” she said. “Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom. We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.”

Within hours, the tone of the investigation shifted.

Speaking with People Magazine on Monday, Sheriff Nanos delivered a devastating update: investigators now believe a crime may have occurred.

“At this point, investigators believe she was taken from the home against her will, possibly in the middle of the night,” Nanos said. “Taken against her will includes possible kidnapping or abduction.”

He underscored the gravity of the situation by emphasizing Guthrie’s physical limitations. “We have an 84-year-old woman who went to bed Saturday night and come Sunday morning, she’s gone,” he said. “We know—or at least we strongly believe—she did not walk out of that home on her own.”

According to the sheriff, Guthrie’s mobility was significantly restricted for multiple reasons. She was not capable of traveling far without assistance, making the idea that she wandered off alone highly unlikely. That fact has become central to investigators’ reasoning.

Police have since begun reviewing home security footage from the surrounding area, asking neighbors to check cameras for anything unusual during the overnight hours. Investigators have also collected what they described as “biological DNA-type evidence” from the home, though details about the nature or source of that evidence have not been publicly disclosed.

Nanos described Guthrie as mentally sharp and fully aware, further fueling concern that her disappearance was not voluntary. “She is really just as sharp as a tack,” he told People. “She knows what’s going on. That’s what makes this so concerning. Somebody came into that home, and I believe took her out without her permission. It was against her will.”

The escalation has shaken both the family and the wider community. What began as a missing-person search has now become a suspected abduction investigation involving one of the most vulnerable demographics—an elderly woman living alone.

As law enforcement worked through the night, Savannah Guthrie took to social media to share a deeply personal message rooted in faith and hope. Posting on Instagram, she expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support while asking for continued prayers.

“We believe in prayer. We believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. We believe in goodness. We believe in humanity,” she wrote. “Above all, we believe in Him.”

She described her mother as a woman of strong conviction and quiet faith, asking supporters to continue lifting her up. “Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy,” she wrote. “Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment. We need you.”

Guthrie concluded her message with a verse from the Book of Isaiah, emphasizing trust, peace, and steadfast faith, and ended with a simple, urgent plea: “Bring her home.”

For investigators, time is now the most critical factor. While no suspects have been named and no arrests have been made, the language used by law enforcement has grown increasingly direct. Officials believe Nancy Guthrie did not leave on her own. They believe someone entered her home. And they believe she was taken against her will.

The Sheriff’s Department continues to ask for the public’s help, urging anyone who may have seen or heard something unusual to come forward, no matter how small it may seem. Tips are being reviewed around the clock as detectives work to reconstruct the hours leading up to her disappearance.

The case has drawn national attention not only because of Savannah Guthrie’s public profile, but because it underscores a deeply unsettling reality: that even in quiet neighborhoods, in the middle of the night, something can go terribly wrong.

As the search continues, the focus remains on finding Nancy Guthrie alive and bringing clarity to a situation filled with fear, unanswered questions, and growing urgency. For her family, the hope is unwavering. For investigators, the mission is clear. And for the public, the message is simple: if you know something, say something.